Chapter 11 Didn’t See That Coming
Chapter eleven
Didn’t See That Coming
Marco
I exit my text thread with Sophia smiling.
A small relief in my current state. My head is pounding.
Nothing to do with alcohol and everything to do with a lack of sleep, thanks to replaying last night’s events over and over.
The way Sophia dared me to the point of no return.
The way she felt in my arms and tasted on my tongue.
The fury that burned through me when I saw Arty’s slimy face at Bella Donna.
I didn’t touch a drop of booze after that because I don’t trust him and I sure as fuck don’t want him anywhere near Sophia.
Call it insider knowledge. Call it a sixth sense that comes with the territory of watching over cunning men like him from the shadows, but there is something about his behavior that has me on high alert.
It took all my willpower not to grab him by the scruff of his neck and toss him and his equally heinous friend Gia fucking Grimaldi out of the club.
But the panic that flitted across Sophia’s lovely features as she pleaded with me not to make a scene stopped me from calling security to escort them both out.
Now in the light of day, everything throbs, both from my desire to make everything right before seeing her tonight, and simply from my desperate need to feel consumed by her.
Maybe after years of burying my true feelings for Sophia, my body has revolted.
There are no more crevices left to hide my longing.
So now I’m imploding, headed straight towards self-destruction and another showdown with her father if he continues to push his agenda of trying to control Sophia and who she chooses to date.
If the events of the last night are anything to go by, this woman has me by my blue balls.
The ping of text notifications saves me from spiraling.
An unfamiliar emotion. I’m usually unflappable.
Yet after just one proper, feverish kiss, one time swallowing this woman’s moans, I feel like my heart is flopping around like a fish out of water for everyone to see.
Seriously, man you need to get a grip. I check and see a flurry of texts from my mom.
Mama:
We arrived safely in Mexico.
Mama:
Great picture of you and Sophia.
Mama:
Don’t let her go this time.
Mama:
Ignore Patrick’s antics.
Mama:
Sienna will deal with him.
Mama:
And remember, Mama always knows best.
Marco:
Good to hear. That could have been one text. Thanks for the unsolicited advice.
Mama:
I know. *Winky face emoji*
Mama:
Love you.
My phone’s been buzzing incessantly with alerts and notifications since that blast about Sophia and I went out in the early hours.
Despite the suggestion made in the insidious blog post, we didn’t have sex.
Well, technically I fucked her with my tongue and fingers, but any other plans to have my way with her were railroaded the moment Sophia realized the company we had.
Vivid flashbacks of her bare, wet, and falling apart on my fingers and face continue to assault me.
I desperately wanted her to come home with me, but the incident with GG and Arty left her skittish, so she got a lift home with Raf instead.
We both knew the likelihood of that picture ending up on GG’s blog.
Seb better have a good explanation for how the devil incarnate managed to get into the VIP section.
I’m ready to combust on all fronts. A boxing session with the guys will help but I doubt that’s going to alleviate the situation in my briefs.
That poor guy has been standing at attention at the mere thought of caressing Sophia’s soft skin again.
My cocky bravado from our text thread aside, I’m equal parts excited and nervous about seeing her tonight, especially before we’ve had a chance to talk.
The last time something like this happened, Patrick got to me first and I made what is probably the stupidest decision of my life.
I go over last night’s conversation with Raf, too.
I meant everything I said to him. I just want what’s best for her.
As much as I want to claim Sophia as mine in every way, what if she thinks I’m not worth the trouble?
Especially since she’s worked so hard to achieve her dream of having a career in law.
The last thing I want is to be an unwanted distraction—or let what’s happening between us cause a rift between her and Patrick that spills over into their working relationship.
He probably views me as enemy number one after standing up to him and leaving with his daughter, but none of that mattered when she was coming on my tongue last night.
Will everything look slightly different in the light of day for Sophia, too?
She may have consented to letting me own her body in the heat of the moment, but will she take a real chance on us and open her heart completely after six years of pining?
No doubt she thinks I’m a playboy and shit at keeping my word, but the reality is the willpower I’ve relied on to date has been completely eviscerated.
The biggest mistake I ever made was convincing her to leave when I should’ve kissed her and asked her to be mine.
Now she’s back for good, I need to show her I’m a safe bet. Her safe bet. I will do whatever it takes to make her believe it. Patrick be damned.
When I enter Johnny’s Gym, I hear her little grunts before I see her.
Evie may be five-feet-nothing, but that girl works out like a machine.
Since she’s Sophia’s best friend, I’ve known her for almost as long as I’ve known Seb.
Like me, she’s an extension of the Princi family.
She also happens to be Seb’s one true weakness—except she’s totally oblivious to the effect she has on him or how deeply he cares for her.
She’s driven, ambitious and has had to make it on her own for a lot of her life.
She’s a tough cookie who doesn’t like to rely on anyone.
Yet, if she let him, Sebastian would absolutely give her the world—but that’s a whole other story.
Arms crossed over my chest, I lean on one of the big black concrete pillars covered in posters and take in her form as she assaults the heavy black bag hanging from the beam.
Beyoncé blasts through the speakers, and her current stance puts her back to me so she doesn’t notice me watching.
She runs through a punch combo finishing off with a roundhouse kick.
Her technique is good, but she keeps dropping her guard.
I make my presence known. “Guard up, Evie, or you’ll get your pretty face all bruised up.”
Turning towards the sound of my voice, a sly grin takes over her face. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t the beast himself.”
Letting out a howl, I play into her game, which earns me a hearty laugh. I walk over and grab hold of the bag.
“C’mon, Pocket Rocket, show me those roundhouse kicks,” I instruct. “Ten each side, three sets. Go.”
“So how’s your morning been?” she huffs as she strikes the bag with her shin, repeatedly.
“Too fucking noisy. Too many notifications, too many messages, too much buzzing in my brain.”
“Yeah. Well getting snapped looking at Sophia Princi like she’s your next meal and having it put on blast will do that, my friend,” she counters, amused at my current predicament.
I don’t know how much Sophia has told her friends about our little rendezvous last night, so I play the smartass card to be safe.
“Well, a man has to eat.”
“Uh-huh,” she says as she swaps sides and continues laying kicks into the bag.
“Clearly, this man has a taste for expensive hosiery. I specifically know Sophia was wearing stockings when she entered that DJ booth last night, but by the time she returned to the VIP area, they had mysteriously disappeared.”
Finishing off her kicks, she steps to the side. Pursing her lips, she stares me down, her signature raised brow a warning to cut the shit.
I know I can trust Evie. She doesn’t rely on anyone, so when she confided in me recently about some trouble she was having, we formed an unspoken bond.
I installed security measures in her home and office and insisted she take up boxing.
She agreed to my help on one condition: Sophia and Sebastian couldn’t know.
I’m loyal to a fault, so her secret is safe with me. For now.
“We didn’t fuck, if that’s what you’re asking.
But, I guess you could say things escalated in the heat of the moment.
I don’t know where it leaves us now or how Sophia feels about it, especially after that damn blog blast,” I explain truthfully.
“All I want is for her to be happy and to have everything she’s worked so hard for. ”
“Don’t play with her heart, Marco,” Evie warns. “She’s one of the strongest women I know, but she’s loved you from the shadows for so long that turning a spotlight back on those feelings will completely unravel her. Love her loud or let her go.”
All I want to do is love her loud, but confessing that to anyone else but her doesn’t feel right.
Speaking of loud, Sebastian, Luca and Raf walk through the door, bantering and jostling each other and placing bets about who’s going to dominate the boxing ring.
Evie says her hellos and makes a quick exit, but not before silently warning me again not to fuck it up. If only it was that easy. Right now, I feel like I’m smack bang in the eye of the storm.
“Come on, you dickheads. Who’s going to put their money where their mouth is first?”